Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 427279

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The many causes of mental health problems

Posted by ed_uk on December 10, 2004, at 13:31:42

Below is a list of some of the known medical causes of psychosis. Just think how many unknown causes of depression, psychosis, hyperactivity and other such syndromes there may be..........and that's just considering the physical causes! Sometimes it's important to be reminded of how little we really know or understand about mental illness. It's vital to remain open-minded and not to confuse theory with fact. Some many of us are guilty of this, myself included... and most of our psychiatrists!

Medical Illnesses that Can Present as Psychosis
By Dr. Ronald J Diamond MD

1. Progressive neurological diseases
a. Multiple sclerosis: no typical signs or symptoms. It may begin very suddenly and affect any part of the neurological system. Early in its course, diagnosis may be extremely difficult.
b. Huntington's chorea: hereditary illness that includes movement disorder but can present with psychosis initially.
c. Alzheimer's disease and Pick's disease: progressive diseases that cause dementia, but can initially present in a wide variety of ways. Alzheimer causes diffuse dementia, while Pick's primarily affects the frontal lobes of the brain.

2. Central nervous system infections
a. Encephalitis (viral infection of the brain-usually Herpes Simplex): usually presents with fever and seizures, but various mental symptoms including catatonia or psychosis may present before any clear cut neurological symptoms. Usually has a fluctuating mental status.
b. Neurosyphilis (syphilis of the central nervous system).
c. HIV infections: HIV encepalopathy commonly includes apathy, decreased spontaneity and depression and may present before any other signs of AIDs are present. AIDS can also first present as delirium with paranoia and other prominent psychotic features.

3. Space occupying lesions within the skull
a. Brain tumors
b. Bleeding within the skull
c. Brain abscess

4. Metabolic disorders
a. Accumulation of toxins from severe liver or kidney disease.
b. Disturbances in electrolytes, either too low a serum level of sodium or too high a serum level of calcium.
c. Acute intermittent porphyria (disease of porphyrin metabolism): very rare, but may present as classical psychosis. Often has abdominal pain or other gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting.
d. Wilson's disease: abnormality of copper metabolism that causes damage to brain and liver if untreated.
e. Systemic lupus erythematosis (autoimmune disease): usually a slowly progressive illness with joint and muscle pain, but it can present very suddenly. The nervous system is commonly involved and can present with depression, dyscontrol syndromes (unexpected impulsive or aggressive behavior), or psychosis.

5. Endocrine disorders
a. Myxedema (underactive thyroid gland-hypothyroidism)
b. Cushing's syndrome (too much cortisol caused by overactive adrenal gland or overactive pituitary gland)
c. Hypoglycemia, either from insulin secreting tumor or administration of insulin

6. Deficiency states
a. Thiamine deficiency: Wernicke-Korsakoff amnestic syndrome
b. Pellegra (nicotinic acid deficiency) and other B complex deficiencies
c. Zinc deficiency

7. Temporal lobe epilepsy (or partial complex seizure disorder)

8. Drugs-
a. prescription
· L-DOPA
· Amphetamine
b. illicit drugs
· cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, stimulants
· hallucinogens

Ed.

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